UK nuclear programme gets go-ahead despite Fukushima disaster via BBC News

By Richard Black Environment correspondent, BBC News

The Fukushima disaster provides no reason to restrict UK nuclear reactors or stop building new ones, the official nuclear regulator has concluded.

Dr Mike Weightman, the UK’s chief nuclear inspector, found no fundamental weaknesses in the current licensing regime or safety principles.

But “continuous improvement” should be sought, he said in his report.

The government commissioned the report after the March tsunami damaged Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi plant.

Dr Weightman released a set of preliminary conclusions in May, including recommendations that plant operators should review issues such as ventilation, electrical backup systems, storage of spent fuel rods, and flood protection.

Continue reading at UK nuclear programme gets go-ahead despite Fukushima disaster